Introduction
The word cloud above was created based on the usage of words within my leadership philosophy and reflects on key leadership themes important to me. I believe that leadership is about creating shared vision, developing community, and enabling others to achieve the goals and outcomes we are striving for. Leaders reflect on what is it that we want to create, not just in terms of a product and service, but in how we envision the engagement of people, use of materials and process, and impacts to the world. Leaders create and influence the environment and culture needed to achieve common goals. Ideally we develop systems that allow others to succeed and take joy in their work.
I believe leaders continually seek to become better leaders and develop leadership capabilities in others around them. “Leaders need to foster within themselves, and within others, a holistic perspective and a willingness to participate, be self-responsible, and act independently as well as interdependently” (Horsman, 2018). Leaders establish and sustain the environments by which others can thrive so that shared vision can be achieved. Then as servant leaders, we ask ourselves the best test question, “Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become heathier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants” (Greenleaf, 1998)?
Who Am I?
I am a responsible and respectful individual who deeply engages in the roles of daughter, wife, mother, friend, Lutheran, IT manager, organizational leader, and team member. From a Myers-Briggs perspective (Myers & Briggs, n.d.), I’m a guardian (Introvert-Sensing-Thinking-Judging) dedicated to serving others. The Enneagram assessment shares that I am a peacemaker who has an optimistic approach to life. Benevolence, traditions, security and conformance frame my core values, yet I also embrace change and “the edges” as it relates to acceptance of others. I believe we should honor traditions, not just our own, but also those of others, while challenging the process and creating change where needed. I strive to create harmony and seek common ground with others.
I have a strong sense of altruism and empathy that is coupled with an innate drive to follow the rules yet do what is right while considering the perspectives of others. I value universalism, “the understanding, appreciation, tolerance, and protection for the welfare of all people and for nature” (Schwartz, 2012). I seek to serve others beyond my immediate circle. I lean left from a political perspective and believe in social justice for all.
I strongly believe in the golden rule in that I strive to treat others as I would want to be treated. I believe I am saved through grace yet need to ask for forgiveness as well as forgive. I strive to approach life with an abundance, not scarcity, mentality. I am thankful for all that has been provided to me and, with gratitude, work to give back what I can for the greater good.
My Leadership Strengths
Several leadership assessments, including StrengthsFinder (Strength Finder Themes, n.d.) and DiSC (DiSC Profile, n.d.), call out my leadership strengths as being responsible, collaborative, steadfast, and supportive. I lead best when empowered to work on a shared vision with a team of people who I can develop and collaborate with to successfully deliver outcomes that benefit our organization, ourselves, and our community.
How I Engage
As a leader, I enable others to act, challenge the process, and inspire a shared vision (Kouzes, 2012). I’m a catalyst who loves to connect others and build new relationship and networks. I apply systems thinking in order to generate new opportunities or resolve core issues.
As a servant-leader, I look to cultivate potential in others and encourage growth and learning. I strive to start from a position of trust and positive intent in relationships or interactions. I believe people will do their best when vision is shared, strong relationships are in place, learning and mastery are allowed, fairness is evident, processes are systems based and capable, and joy or levity are integrated into the workplace.
I create and maintain stable systems, support others, and build collaboration. While I appreciate conflict, change, and dominating leaders who are on the other side of this continuum, each can require additional work on my part depending on the complexity and tension involved. I believe in, support, and reward hard work, diligence, stability, and practicality.
Why I Lead This Way
I strive to live out my leadership beliefs and values knowing that through authenticity, fairness, transparency, and equality I will gain trust and respect from those around me. As a leader it is important to me to not to just say how I lead or pontificate on what I’m going to do, but to truly be it and live it. “Conversatio is essential to complete what stability and obedience begin—the realization of mutual and respectful interdependence: through it, relationship and community become ways of being, rather than of doing” (Tran, 2018).
Those that work with me appreciate the support and guidance that I provide. They reciprocate with the delivery of outcomes that we as a team desire and can take pride in. My teams understand the overall premise and are enabled to complete the work based on their own motivation and inspiration which in turn can lead to joy, satisfaction and meaning.
The Environment I Create
My work and home environments tend to be peaceful where all are encouraged to support each other. I strive to create safe spaces to listen and communicate without judgement. I work to ask the right open-ended questions that leads to new discovery or growth. My staff, peers and family do love the support and levity I provide them, even when the pressure is on.
The Leadership Value I Provide
I perform well in leadership roles where I can be a collaborative catalyst that brings teams together to get work done efficiently and effectively. I help teams structure efficient processes that reduce handoffs, wait times and contention. I coach managers to trust and empower their teams. I encourage open transparent communication and encourage quick engagement on issues and ideas. I strive to bring levity to conversations and keep discussions engaging and stretching into dialog (Senge, 1990) as we work towards a shared vision.
What Drives Me as a Leader
I’m driven to create environments where others can be successful and make a difference within the organizations and communities. We spend far too many hours each week at work not to find some joy or inspiration in what we do. The work we do typically has some meaning, yet how do we find shared vision, empower teams, improve employee engagement, and delight more customers? As a leader, I strive to create the communities where we can work towards a shared vision in a collaborative way, honoring the strengths that each has, listening and communicating openly, and celebrating the outcomes (Block, 2008).
My Leadership Goals
I’m inspired by the writings of John Horsman, Parker Palmer and others as they talk about engaging life with a servant-consciousness and a sense of authentic purpose. I aspire to embody servant leader characteristics (Spears, 1995) as well as serve, transform, and lead with compassion, generosity, gratitude, and joy. How might I share and grow the “spirit of light” or “spirit of hope” (Palmer, 1998) with those around me? How can I create joy and community so together we can make a difference in this complex, challenging world we live in?
With humbleness and grace, I’m striving to be a servant leader that develops servant leader capabilities in others while continuing to develop myself. “Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic self-hood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be. As we do so, we will not only find the joy that every human being seeks–we will also find our path of authentic service in the world” (Palmer, 2000). I’m dedicated to serving, leading, and developing communities I find myself a part of as I continue my servant leadership journey.